


lend me your ear

by foreverautumn



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Attempt at Humor, Awkward Boners, Dirty Talk, Explicit Language, M/M, Masturbation, Payback, Phone Sex, Praise Kink, Sexual Fantasy, Stupidity, This actually gets a lot more serious as it goes on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-19
Updated: 2013-10-25
Packaged: 2017-12-27 00:25:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/972115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverautumn/pseuds/foreverautumn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren's not a vindictive person. Really, he's not. In fact, he considers himself a big supporter of doing the right thing, fighting the good fight (literally, if need be); basically, he's a big proponent of justice.</p>
<p>Sitting here with Jean's credit card clutched in his hand, Eren's sure this is just the beginning of a long and prosperous road <em>full</em> of justice.</p>
<p>(or, the sex line fic that nobody wanted. Officially rated E for chapter 2)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. if i should call you up

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't find a fic with Levi as a sex line operator so I decided to write one?

Eren's not a vindictive person. Really, he's not. In fact, he considers himself a big supporter of doing the right thing, fighting the good fight (literally, if need be); basically, he's a big proponent of justice.

Sitting here with Jean's credit card clutched in his hand, Eren's sure this is just the beginning of a long and prosperous road _full_ of justice.

\--

There are so many options available to him that Eren hardly knows which way to go. He could book a trip to an exotic location, but that might get a little dicey, depending on how soon Jean notices the loss of his card. Eren certainly doesn't want to get stuck somewhere, so that won't work.

He could just buy a ton of shit, whether practical or not (for instance, Eren could really use a new laptop - his current one is on the fritz and has been for quite awhile). But Jean will probably be able to tell immediately that it's Eren who has his card, once he's aware of the charges being made. He could buy random things instead, but that's not quite as fun.

Eren's twirling slowly in his squeaky spinny chair, tapping a pen against his knee when the idea hits him. He drops his pen in his excitement, unable to hold in a laugh at Jean's future (also literal) expense. 

The idea features all of the necessary components - it will be costly, it will be incredibly embarrassing, and it'll cause Jean to have a fucking heart attack.

The plan is far too good to turn back on. 

Ah, justice sure is sweet.

\--

Eren knows he must implement the plan as soon as he can; time is ticking away until Jean realizes his credit card is missing. Luckily Jean can be an airhead about those kinds of things, and he definitely doesn't like to admit when he makes a mistake or does something stupid, so the chances of him owning up to misplacing his card right away are slim to none. Eren has a few days to work with, he's sure of it.

"Hey, get back to work, or you're gonna get in trouble."

Armin's voice sounds slightly worried, but Eren doesn't even spare him a glance. He continues unfolding and straightening out paper clips as he gazes off into the distance, perfecting his (honestly already perfect) plan.

Armin sighs. "Not my fault if you get fired, Eren."

"Yeah yeah, I'm busy right now."

If Armin looks a little frightened at the glint in his eye, Eren pretends not to notice.

\--

It's later that night, after Eren's home and has gotten something to eat, when he decides to initiate the beginnings of his plan. (He sincerely hopes that his plan will be ongoing - please, Jean, stay an idiot.)

Fighting the awkward feeling in his chest as he tinkers around on his laptop, searching for the most important part of the plan, and trying to avoid devastating computer viruses at the same time (maybe he really will need that new laptop), Eren finally finds what he's looking for.

He takes a big gulp of his soda before grabbing his phone. 

There's just the slightest hesitation, and then Eren grabs Jean's credit card as well. Glancing upwards, Eren dials the number on his computer screen with fierce determination.

His heart lodges in his throat as he listens to the line ring. He huffs and puts down the card, grabbing his soda can. Damn, there's no reason to be nervous, this is the best idea he's had in ages, and--

"Hello, and I hope you're having a pleasant night," a sultry voice croons, making Eren involuntarily crush the can still grasped in his hand. "I think we can make it even more pleasant for you... If you'll just provide your credit card information, I'll get you set up right away."

Eren realizes he's about to ruin the plan if he doesn't spring into action. He clears his throat awkwardly, cursing himself for his sudden cowardly behavior. He recites the number and expiration date with as calm a voice as he can muster, and then waits the longest moments of his life to be connected to the... He can't let himself think the word.

At least it'll be a guy, Eren reasons, spinning lightly from side to side in his seat. It'll be much easier to talk to a guy and rack up time than if he'd talked to a girl. He really doesn't want to actually get involved in any shenanigans over the phone in case they somehow come back to bite him once Jean figures out what he's done. With a guy, he can just talk, kill time, not have to worry about awkward boners--

"Good evening, my name's Levi, I certainly hope I haven't kept you waiting," comes perhaps the most decadent voice Eren has ever heard in his life. The soda can, already in bad shape, is further pulverized as Eren struggles to fight down a blush.

"Are you there? Playing hard to get?" There's a playful lilt to that sinful voice now, and what in the actual fuck, do guys ever actually talk like that? Eren focuses on prying his fingers off of the can and lies his hand flat out on the desk. He should hang up. _Definitely_ should hang up.

"You like to play games, huh? We can do whatever you want... I'm yours for the night," the man continues after Eren's continued silence, and with this line Eren can't stop himself from making a strange strangled sound. The plan, the brilliant plan, it's all crumbling in fire and ash around him, and--

"Oh, that was a cute sound, are you nervous? What's your name, baby?"

Eren's eyes frantically dart around, landing on Jean's credit card. He must be strong, the plan, it all depends on him getting through this.

"E-Eren," he chokes out, then almost smacks himself in the head; he's _Jean_ , he's Jean right now, why the fuck did he say his own name?

"Eren?" the man repeats, and the way he says it, the way he almost rolls it off his tongue makes Eren want to melt into the carpet. "Eren, I like that, I like that a lot, actually." There's a breathy sigh, and Eren's heart begins to thud uncomfortably; he needs to explain this whole thing before everything gets completely out of hand (like it isn't already _outrageously_ out of hand).

"Tell me what you look like, Eren." It sounds like a command, but a ridiculously sexy command. No, not sexy. Holy fuck. Eren wants to cry.

"Stop!" he exclaims, heart thundering, hand gripping the phone turning numb. "Just-- just stop talking for one minute, for gods sake!"

It's quiet, and Eren's breaths are noisy in the otherwise silent room. He just needs some time to think, here. He closes his eyes and wills himself to calm down. This is fine. It will be fine. It will all be worth it when he sees Jean's face.

"Are you alright?" the man asks, and though his voice is still laced with far too much sultriness to allow Eren's heartbeat to return to normal, there's also concern in it. Eren presses his hand against his forehead.

"Yes. I just... I'm not calling to have phone sex with you."

There. That wasn't so difficult.

There's a long pause. "Well, why else would you be calling here, Eren?"

Eren hates the way this guy says his name, hates it with every fiber of his being. He grits his teeth and forces out his next words. "Okay, this is going to sound really weird, but I kind of... I have my friend's credit card, and even though he's my friend he's a complete douche, and I just wanted to do something embarrassing that'll make him freak out."

The words leave him in a rush, and there's yet again a moment of silence. It's broken by a laugh, a soft, real laugh, not tinged with any overt sensuality, and Eren is unable to hold back a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I've heard a lot of things, but that's definitely the first time I've heard that one," the man replies, and Eren finds that the guy's voice is much more pleasant to listen to when it's not trying to forcefully seduce him. God, his heart may never recover.

Eren allows himself a small smile as he answers, "Yeah, well, he deserves it."

"I can only imagine," is the amused reply. "So is your name really Eren, or is that his?"

Eren is surprised by the question, and hesitates for a moment. "No, that's my name." The next words leave him before he can stop himself. "Is your name really... what you said it was?"

He's too traumatized to even remember what the guy had introduced himself as, but good god, who cares, why is Eren asking him that, it's not like he needs to know--

"Yeah, my name's Levi. It's easier to just stick with my real name, far less confusing."

"Ahh, yeah, I can see that," Eren says awkwardly, scratching at his cheek. 

He's kind of surprised the guy - Levi - is taking this so well. Shouldn't he be reporting Eren or something? Eren supposes it doesn't really matter to Levi, or anyone else for that matter, as long as the credit card goes through.

"And what did your friend do to deserve having a sex line charged to his credit card?" Levi asks, and Eren's sure that Levi is taking this much too well. Maybe he enjoys exacting revenge-- er, perpetuating justice just as much as Eren does.

"He wrecked my car," Eren replies darkly, brows furrowing. Jean deserves this. Definitely.

"Oh? That's really shitty," Levi says, and Eren is mildly surprised by how genuine he sounds. Eren is tired of being surprised by Levi so many times during this call, but he's incredibly happy that Levi so easily turned off the sexy persona, so at least there's that.

"Really shitty," Eren agrees, tapping his fingers on the desk. He begins to swivel from side to side a bit as his mood begins to calm.

"It's so shitty you should take a shit on his car," is the easy reply, and Eren's eyes widen a bit. Levi adds after a moment, "Ah, my sense of humor isn't for everyone."

It shouldn't make him smile, but Eren does, anyway. "Would you call it... shitty?"

"Haha, you're so clever," Levi says, voice flat with sarcasm, and Eren smiles wider. It's hard to believe that a few minutes ago he had been practically having a heart attack in this very chair.

"Hey, I'm a paying customer," Eren shoots back, biting the inside of his cheek as soon as the words leave his mouth. Should he have said that?

But Levi takes it in stride. "No you're not, actually, your friend is. And my time is expensive."

"If you... if you don't mind me asking," Eren begins, ignoring the voice screaming in his head to shut up, shut up before it's too late, "How did you get into... this?"

Levi doesn't seem offended, and responds calmly, "It's good money. Definitely not something I thought I'd ever be doing, but it's not that bad."

"It makes for an interesting conversation topic, anyway," Eren says, lips quirking upward.

"Most people believe I'm either a bartender or a stripper, I think," Levi replies. "No one ever thinks sex line operator off the bat for a late night job."

Eren tries not to choke. "S-stripper? That... that would be really weird." He laughs, spinning his chair around slowly.

"It's different talking to people over the phone. I think that would be creepy."

Eren spins a bit quicker, chair squeaking in protest. "I don't think you're creepy."

Wait. What. That's--

Levi laughs. "Well... thanks, I guess?"

"Uh, I didn't-- I just, I didn't mean to say that. Sorry," he blurts, ceasing the spinning to tap his foot on the floor.

"Well, for what it's worth, I don't think you're creepy either. You seem like a good kid."

Eren's eyebrows furrow. "I'm not a kid," he says (in a completely un-childish way, of course).

"No offense meant," is the reply, but Eren can hear the smile in it. Why does he even care what Levi thinks of him? It's not important.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbles, tilting back in his seat. "So what else can we talk about to rack up this credit card bill?" He grins as he waits for Levi's answer.

"How about I put my mouth on you? Lick at you right through your underwear, get you nice and wet for me? You'd like that, wouldn't you Eren?"

The chair creaks loudly as Eren barely keeps himself from falling backwards, hand grappling wildly to grasp at the desk. A string of curses leaves his mouth as he knocks over the crumpled can, the last bit of soda leaking out as it rolls across the carpet.

"The fuck," he mumbles to himself, standing on wobbly legs, searching fruitlessly for a napkin. He ends up throwing some papers down to try and soak up some of the stain.

"Sorry about that," Levi says, voice back to normal as Eren's chest feels ready to explode. "My boss was just walking by, had to make it sound good, you know."

Eren's currently crushing papers into the soda seeping into his carpet, cheeks burning hotter than they ever have in his life, and what had that thing been about no awkward boners? Fuck this plan, this plan is actually complete shit - no not shit, don't say shit, Levi likes shit jokes, this is the worst idea of all time--

"Hey Eren, are you there? Did I scare you away?" Levi's voice sounds like a mixture of amusement and mild disappointment, and it makes Eren's stomach do strange things.

He coughs, clears his throat. "Sorry, uh. You just... surprised me." Yeah, that's the word for it. "I spilled my drink."

"Is that so," Levi replies, and Eren wonders what kind of expression he's wearing. Is he amused? Pleased? Why does he care again?

"Well, I-- I should probably go," Eren says, feeling too nervous all of the sudden.

"That's a shame." Damn, Levi really sounds far too genuine when he says that. "Well, if you're hanging onto that credit card for awhile, ask for me next time, okay?"

Next time? Oh. Right. The plan. Yes.

"Uh I-- Yeah-- yeah okay," Eren stutters. So suave.

"I look forward to it. Good night, Eren."

Eren's gripping the phone so tight that his hand's going numb again. "Yeah. Bye, Levi." He doesn't stutter, at least.

Once the call is ended, Eren stares at the seemingly innocent phone in his hand, wondering what the hell he's gotten himself into.


	2. invest a dime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get doooown and dirty, basically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'This won't be that long' - naive quote from myself after posting chapter one

Eren doesn't wake up to the sound of cops knocking down his apartment door the next morning, so he considers the plan a resounding success. (So far.)

Jean apparently hasn't noticed anything strange yet, and Eren chuckles to himself over breakfast. He then proceeds to almost choke on his cereal when he abruptly recalls the sound of Levi laughing in his ear.

It takes a few minutes for Eren to regain his composure, though there's still an unnerving burn at the back of his neck that he can't really attribute to the coughing fit.

\--

Eren has to rely on the kindness of Armin to chauffeur him to and from work, now that Jean has gone and wrecked his car. Armin insists he doesn't mind, but Eren can't help feeling a little guilty.

...Also kind of annoyed.

He's currently sitting in the back room, bored out of his mind. His own shift is over, but Armin's not done for another hour. What the hell is he supposed to do?

Eren sighs, fumbling around in his pockets for a piece of gum, when he feels Jean's credit card (he'd felt strange about just leaving it in his apartment... it'd feel incriminating). His finger runs along the edge of it thoughtfully before pulling it out.

It sits face up on the table in front of Eren, taunting him.

Should he? This isn't really the best place, but it's not like he's actually calling for phone sex. And no, his ears are not heating up, they're definitely not.

Eren purses his lips. On the one hand, talking to Levi will without a doubt make the time go by quickly. On the other hand, he's at work. But he's not working.

The internal struggle resolves itself without much further ado, and Eren slides out his phone, pulling up the number he's searching for from his recent calls list.

He's kind of... excited? He's anticipating talking to Levi again. That's not weird, is it? And Levi had told Eren to ask for him, so maybe it's not that weird.

It's all for naught anyway; when he mutters to the operator that he'd like to speak to Levi, it turns out he's not there right now. Eren deflects the option of speaking with someone else with a mumble, hanging up as quickly as his fingers can press the 'end' button.

Maybe he's disappointed, but that's probably only because he's so bored.

\--

He'll call later. 

(For the sake of the plan.)

\--

"But no seriously, his hair is a fucking catastrophe, he has the top dyed and he tries to act like it's natural even though it's obviously not--"

"You're really quite passionate about this, aren't you," Levi interrupts, sounding amused.

Eren continues gesticulating wildly. "Levi, you'd have to see this shit to believe it. And he's got this stupid long face, like a horse or a giraffe--"

Levi interrupts him again, this time with a laugh that's more like a snort, but he clears his throat right after, like he's trying to play it off. Eren feels a smile split his face, and he opens his mouth, about to say something like 'that was a cute sound' but the words die away as he remembers Levi saying the same thing to him the day before. Instead, he clears his throat too, probably a little louder than strictly necessary.

"Anyway, I'm telling you, this guy is a piece of work."

"Sure sounds like it," Levi agrees. "Why are you two friends, again?"

"We're not!" Eren exclaims, almost rising from his seat. Then he sighs, relenting, "Well yeah, we are. But that doesn't mean he's not an asshole, and that I'm not gonna call him out on his shit."

"Shit like his personally offensive appearance." Levi's trying to sound serious, but Eren can tell he's smiling.

"Yes!" Eren cries emphatically, leaning forward.

"How noble of you."

"Shut up, I'm not even exaggerating."

Levi sounds slightly disbelieving. "So he is a monstrous horse... giraffe-thing. With half of his hair dyed."

"One hundred percent true."

"Huh. I wonder what he'd say you look like, hm? Maybe some kind of bird, because you love to run your mouth." Levi's tone is teasing, playful, and it makes Eren feel a little weird, but he pushes it to the back of his mind. Luckily he has righteous indignation to express right now, which is much more important.

"I do not look like a bird," Eren grits out, and Levi has the gall to chuckle.

"What do you look like, then?"

It's said innocently, _completely_ innocently, but the question makes Eren's throat seize up and his hand grip the desk.

He manages to play it off, to dance around the question, but when he's lying in bed later that night, he can't figure out why he'd had that kind of reaction.

\--

Waiting for the light to change so he can cross the street is one of Eren's least favorite things. He sighs, counting the seconds while cars speed by.

He could be in his own car, right now.

Oh wait, it's been totaled! By a complete dickhead, no less.

"I _know_ , Jaeger."

Eren jumps about three feet in the air as his head whips around, finding the person he wants to see least in the world (on most days, but most especially today) standing behind him. "W-what?"

"You haven't even been subtle, you ass." Jean's lips are down-turned, brows furrowed deeply.

Eren is not sweating. No.

He's tempted to reach down and pat his pocket, to make sure the credit card is still in there, but he resists the urge. He won't give anything up.

"Why the hell did you have to tell _everyone_ I wrecked your car?" Jean whines, it's totally a whine, even though Jean would deny it til the day he dies.

Eren rolls his eyes, the terror that had momentarily taken hold of him slowly fading away, being replaced by utter annoyance.

"Why wouldn't I? You're a dick, Jean."

Jean's face twists into an even uglier expression than is usually on his face, grunting, "It's not like it was on purpose, idiot! It was an accident!"

Eren remains unmoved, raising an eyebrow. "You're just mad everyone now knows what a douchebag you are."

"Even Mikasa, Eren?" Jean grounds out, eyes flashing, and Eren actually laughs, laughs so hard his eyes squeeze shut and he's sort of doubled over, Jean's raging voice ringing through his ears.

"You piece of shit, it's not funny! She'll never forgive me now!"

Eren wipes at his eyes, the last of his laughter dying away. He sighs contentedly, then looks Jean in the face. "She'd never date you anyway."

The words leave an truly horrid expression plastered on Jean's face, his mouth hanging open but his jaw clenched, eyes wide, brows furrowed deeply as he seethes.

Eren almost whistles as he walks away, feeling quite pleased with how the plan's going. He's unable to stop himself from reaching into his pocket to reaffirm the placement of Jean's credit card there, and he smiles at the thought of talking to Levi tonight.

\--

After the fear of being found out earlier in the day, Eren finds he's anticipating calling Levi even more so than usual. He doesn't know how he feels about that, so he spends some time fiddling around on his laptop while glancing at his phone every couple of minutes.

Who is he trying to kid? It's not like there's anyone else here.

Eren sighs, placing his chin in his hand. His gaze stays on the phone innocently sitting on the desk; Jean's credit card just so happens to be placed right next to it.

There's obviously something very wrong with him.

Who gets... attached... to a guy working a sex line? (Like, just to talk to, of course.)

Eren frowns, closing his laptop with one hand. Yeah, there's definitely something wrong with him.

But Levi's... he's fun, and surprisingly easy to talk to, and they seem to-- he doesn't know how to phrase it, exactly; they seem to click, to be on the same wavelength, they... connect, or something, and it's completely absurd to be thinking these things, because he doesn't even really _know_ Levi.

The more Eren thinks about it, though, it's not that he knows nothing about him. Levi's sarcastic, has an odd sense of humor, he likes black and white movies (Eren had found that one out when Levi'd made a reference to a movie he'd never seen), only his two closest friends know what he does for a living, and his voice is really--

Eren cuts off that train of thought, shuffling around in his seat. He doesn't have to explain this to himself, to try to reason his way through it. It's not like it matters, does it?

This is all just part of the plan to get back at Jean, and that's it.

Isn't this what he had wanted, after all? To just kill some time talking to a guy, letting the bill grow larger and larger? (Is it killing time if he looks forward to it?)

Eren sighs again, then gets up from his chair and stretches. He plops back down, shakes his head, and runs a hand over his face. This is stupid.

Deciding not to worry over it anymore, Eren snaps up his phone. Before he knows it, he's on the line, waiting to get connected to Levi, and there's a little bubble of anticipation in his belly. (That he's resolutely ignoring. Yes.)

"Good evening, this is Levi," Levi purrs, the hairs on the back of Eren's neck standing up, "And who might I be speaking to?"

"It's just Eren," he breathes in response, voice leaving him in a rush. Maybe he should just interrupt Levi next time. It's not like he wants Levi to talk to him like that.

"Ah, just Eren," Levi repeats, his tone shifting back to normal, and Eren's stomach ceases doing somersaults. "So the ruse is ongoing, eh?"

Eren grins. "Yeah, the dolt doesn't even realize. He actually came up to me today and I thought he'd figured it out, but he was just crying about something else."

"I bet you shit your pants at first," Levi says, amused. Eren, however, is not. (Mostly because it's true.)

"Hell no," he grumbles, crossing his legs.

"You're so convincing."

"Watch it, Levi," he threatens playfully, lips curling up in a grin.

"Or what, you're gonna kick my ass? I'm actually pretty tough myself, you know."

Eren's heart thumps, and he files away yet another thing on the list of things he knows about Levi. (Not that it matters. Really.)

"Yeah? I guess the brawl will have to wait for another day then," Eren sighs in fake disappointment.

"You better be ready for your friend to try to kick your ass, though. Even though you have your own justifications, he's not really going to be thinking rationally."

Eren's about to snap back that he can take care of himself, when it suddenly strikes him that Levi's showing... concern. Kinda. Like maybe he cares what happens to Eren.

"Don't worry about it," he mumbles, cheeks inexplicably heating up. He's so fucked.

"If you say so, Eren," Levi replies, and there's a beat of silence. Eren's currently losing his mind, because he's seriously considering asking Levi a question that he definitely shouldn't. Does it matter what Levi answers, anyway? But then, does it matter if he asks in the first place, since this is all just...

His heartbeat thuds loudly in his ears. What is he doing? 

(Is this even about Jean anymore?)

(It is, it is, but it's also--)

"Hey, Levi..." Eren begins hesitantly, hating how unsure he sounds but bumbling on anyway, "What, uh... What do you look like?"

"Hm?" By the sound of it, Levi is clearly surprised at the question, and Eren blushes to the roots of his hair. Shit, he knows he shouldn't have said it.

"Ah, do you really wanna know?" Levi asks, and Eren's afraid to answer, mouth opening and closing a few times helplessly. After his long silence, which Levi seems to take as affirmation, he continues, "Well, you have to tell me what you look like first."

"B-but..." Eren stutters, his voice dying out pathetically. 

"I've asked you before and you didn't answer, so fair is fair." Levi's voice is light, and Eren is happy for it, happy that maybe Levi's not taking this seriously, because if he knew that Eren's slumped over his desk, hands sweating, Eren would probably actually die of embarrassment. (He might die anyway, at this rate.)

"Um..." He rubs his palm against his pant leg absentmindedly, trying to regain some semblance of normalcy. (It's too fucking late, Jesus Christ.) "I have brown hair... and um..."

Why is it so hard to describe himself? He's almost about to get up and look in the mirror, but Eren's afraid he might be tempted to crack his head against the glass and put himself out of his misery, so he refrains.

"I'm kind of... average height, I guess..."

There's a long pause as Eren stares down at the hand that's now gripping his knee. His mind is currently blank as the seconds carry on.

"Vivid portrait you've depicted there." The words drip with sarcasm, and Eren tries to shoot something back, some kind of retort, but he can't quite form the words.

"But yeah, fair is fair, so I'll tell you," Levi says, and Eren's fingers subconsciously tighten. "My hair's black, and I am not average height."

Eren waits anxiously for Levi to continue, and, upon realizing he's not, mutters distractedly, "Not average? Does that... are you taller or shorter?"

"A mystery for another day," comes the deadpan reply, and Eren's brows furrow.

"Is that... it?"

Levi chuckles. "That's all you told me, so. Fair's fair."

"Right..." Eren trails off, mind wandering again.

It's not much to go on, but he tries to picture Levi in his mind. Black hair, and he's probably fit, and... Eren blushes as he scratches at his cheek, then settles his hand back down on the desk.

"What are you thinking about?" 

The question is laced with honest curiosity, and Eren, well, he's a total mess, obviously he's lost his mind at some point, so he really doesn't even know what to say in response.

"You."

Fuck.

Did he actually just...? (Yeah. He sure did.)

Eren bites his lip, hard, waiting to hear what Levi will say. What does he even want him to say? 

(It's getting harder to pretend this doesn't matter anymore.)

"Really?"

Eren can't read his tone, and starts to panic, babbling nonsensically, "J-just that, uh, you know... you must think this job is pretty boring, huh?"

"It is what it is." Levi's still unreadable, and Eren wonders what he's thinking.

"I mean, it's... you have to like, listen to people be gross and you don't actually-- you don't actually really, um, like any of them, so."

What the fuck is he going on about now? Eren doesn't even know, and he gets up from his chair, pacing his room nervously.

"No, it's not like there's a... connection."

There's no reason for his stomach to drop at Levi's reply, for his heart to start beating so fast, no reason for Eren to think back, think how he'd thought he and Levi might have something _maybe kind of like_ a connection--

"Eren?"

Eren jolts to awareness at the sound of Levi's voice, realizing with horror that his hand is splayed against his hip, and there's some kind of traitorous burn in his belly, and shit, he's so, so fucked.

"Are you..." Levi trails off questioningly, then backtracks quickly, "Never mind."

He should stop, stop straying down this path, really, really he needs to stop. This isn't right, he shouldn't--

"Hey Levi, how does it... how does it usually start?"

Eren's nails dig into his hip, pressing harshly into the bone. What's he doing, what's he doing, he's pretty sure he knows exactly what he's doing but why, why's he--

There's a pause, and then Levi replies, "Well actually, with 'what do you look like?'" Eren hopes he's not breathing as loud as he feels like he is, his fingers starting to trace the edge of his pants.

"And... and then?"

"...Maybe something like, 'are you in your bed right now?'" Levi says the words slowly, maybe a little cautiously.

Eren could laugh right now, make a joke to diffuse the tension, something, anything; he should, but he doesn't. (Doesn't want to, really.)

His eyes shift to the side, glancing at his bed. "No, but I'm... next to it."

A strange thrill goes through him at the thought of what Levi might say, heart thumping in anticipation. 

"You..." Levi's voice is low, and Eren's eyes slide closed for a second as he lets out a small breath. "Eren, do you really want to do this?"

No.

Maybe.

"Do you?" he asks instead, trying to sound braver than he feels.

"That doesn't matter. I'm asking you, Eren."

Levi hasn't denied it, really, more like he's just deflected the question. Eren doesn't know if he should let himself hope, and he bites at his lip again, worrying the skin for a few moments.

"Should I... lie on the bed?" The words leave Eren's mouth in a rush, his ears burning, fingertips tingling.

A long pause, and then, "Are you sure about this?"

Eren can't help but make a small noise, out of frustration or desire, he doesn't know. "Should I?" he repeats, more than a little breathless.

It's only a few seconds before Levi speaks again, but it feels like hours.

"What are you wearing, Eren?"

Eren's face flushes at the slight change in Levi's tone, belly tightening further. "Uh, just... pants and a shirt..."

"Take them off," Levi orders, and Eren's eyes widen, heart just about ready to explode out of his chest.

"O-okay," he manages to stutter, and he awkwardly places his phone down on the the bed, hands shaking as he struggles to get out of his clothing. He tries his best not to let his mind wander, not to think about what he's doing, what he's letting happen, what he wants to happen. Eren hesitates briefly at the hem of his boxers, then decides to take them off too.

He actually drops the phone when he tries to pick it up again, and he thanks god that it just hits the soft sheet and doesn't clatter to the floor. Eren fumbles to bring it back up to his ear, then finds he doesn't know what to say next.

"Levi?" he whispers uncertainly, trying to quell the sudden horror that maybe this is all a big joke.

"I'm here," Levi replies soothingly, like he knows just what Eren's thinking. "Now, did you take off your underwear too?"

"Yes..."

"Good, Eren." Eren's ears burn at the pleased tone. "I want you to lie down now, on your stomach."

"Alright," Eren murmurs, pressing one knee into the bed, trying to ignore the bundle of nerves in his belly. He shifts around, searching for a position comfortable enough so that he can still press the phone to his ear.

After a few moments, he mutters, "I'm lying down now."

"Are you comfortable, Eren?"

Well, his half-formed erection is pressing against the sheets below him and his heart feels like it's about to spontaneously combust at any given moment, but aside from that...

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Close your eyes, then."

He does so immediately, waiting.

"I'm gonna press a kiss between your shoulder blades, Eren. Would you like that?"

The words surprise him, and he stutters, "U-um, I--"

Levi cuts him off, voice lowering, changing in a way that makes Eren's gut twist. "When's the last time someone spoiled you, Eren?"

Shit, he's fucking confused and it's only been like two minutes. Eren racks his brain, trying to come up with a suitable answer; his last relationship had been with Annie, four years ago when he'd been nineteen, but they hadn't really bothered with fooling around too much, instead just getting right down to business.

"...Awhile," he answers finally, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.

"That's alright," Levi replies, not making fun of Eren like he'd feared. "We'll just take our time, then."

Eren can't help but press his hips into the bed a little harder, holding in a moan at the friction against his (now fully formed) erection.

"I want to touch you," Levi murmurs, and Eren sighs softly, imagining gentle fingertips running along his back. He still can't quite believe he's doing this, and with a guy, but it's Levi, so--

"Your skin is soft, I bet," Levi purrs. "Do you like when I touch you, hm?"

With his eyes closed, he can almost pretend Levi's actually here with him. He licks his lips and whispers, "Yeah... Levi..."

"I know you do." Levi's voice is driving Eren crazy already, and he ruts against the bed below him with a little more urgency, biting his lip to stifle any sound. "I'm gonna run my hands down your sides now, Eren, lift you up so you're on your knees."

Eren lets out a shaky breath, then moves slowly until he's slightly propped up.

"I want to touch your cock, Eren. It's hard for me, isn't it?"

At those words, all the blood rushes to Eren's member in a hurry, and he wraps a hand loosely around himself, unable to hold back a sound of pleasure.

"Feel good, baby?"

Eren grasps himself firmer, fighting a shudder as he runs his hand up and down. "It's... it's good," he forces out between broken sighs.

He's not sure if he's just hallucinating, caught up in everything that's happening right now, but Eren thinks Levi's breaths are coming a little quicker, and he can't stop himself from asking the question suddenly burning in his mind.

"Levi... Levi, are you..." He moans, lips moving soundlessly for a moment as he imagines it, "Are you... touching yourself?"

"A mystery for another day," Levi replies teasingly, echoing his statement from earlier, and Eren hisses out a breath, runs his thumb along the slit of his cock, he _wants_ that, wants so badly for Levi to be touching himself too.

Levi chuckles, the sound of it, low and deep and sexy, makes Eren's legs tremble. "I think that's enough of that for now, we don't want the fun to end so soon, do we?"

Eren's hand slows its pace, and when he finds his voice again, all he comes up with is, "...Huh?"

"Shh," Levi breathes, and the back of Eren's neck prickles as that voice seeps inside of him, spreads to every inch of his body until all he can think of is Levi. "I want you to reach down, Eren. I want you to touch yourself for me."

Eren's brow knits in confusion, and he mumbles, "But I... I already..."

"No, I want you to slip your fingers down..." Eren uncertainly slides down, briefly touching his balls, his breath hitching in his throat as his hand stills. "I want you touching your entrance for me, Eren."

There's a wave of sudden anxiety, because Eren's never touched himself there before, and it's-- well, with Levi it might be-- 

"U-um... Levi, I..." His hesitancy is obvious to his own ears, fingers still unmoving as his heart thumps. 

"It's okay," Levi says immediately, and his tone serves to calm Eren's nerves a little. "All I want is to make you feel good, you know that, right?"

He does, he does believe that. Eren murmurs quietly, "I... Yeah, okay..." 

"Do it, baby, do it," Levi urges him on, voice breathy, and Eren chokes on a moan as he does what he's been asked, slowly, slowly trailing his finger downwards, down until he hits--

His stuttered breath gives him away, and Levi's once again whispering in his ear. "You found it, huh? You touching your hole right now, Eren? Is it twitching, waiting for me?"

Eren can't answer, just presses his dry finger closer, rubs harder against the soft skin there, breaths coming out harshly.

"I want to kiss it," Levi declares, and Eren moans, moans too loudly, how can Levi say things like this, no one should be able to, but the man continues on, "I'm gonna lean down and kiss that twitching hole right now, don't worry. But first, I'm gonna breathe against your skin, watch your body move for me, watch how much you want it, Eren."

"Yeah," Eren agrees mindlessly, dick jerking at all of the filthy things pouring out of Levi's mouth as he imagines hot breath down where his hand is.

"I'm gonna kiss that hole, run my lips all over it, Eren, _worship_ it, make it so that you whine for me."

And Eren can't help it, a sound close to the whine Levi had just requested leaves his lips without his consent.

"Good boy," comes the unexpected praise, and Eren makes another embarrassing sound as a powerful surge of arousal shoots straight to his cock. His finger moves faster against his hole, skittering touches, and he tries to imagine it's Levi's lips, it's _Levi_ doing this to him.

"I'm gonna put my tongue in you, Eren, pry you open for me," Levi continues lewdly, and Eren's eyes flutter open for just a moment before he squeezes them shut again.

"That's..." Eren struggles to speak, his voice husky and low, "That's dirty, you shouldn't..."

"It's not, and you know why?"

Eren can only make a small sound in response, but it's enough, apparently.

"Because you were ready for me, weren't you? You were ready for this, you wanted this so badly, didn't you?"

His cock is leaking, soiling the sheets below him, and Eren moans, god, he wants to hear every perverse little thing that can come out of Levi's mouth.

"I'm licking it first, get you wet, make you squirm..."

Eren hurriedly pulls his hand up to his mouth, tilting his head slightly away from the phone so that he can lick at his own fingers without Levi hearing (though he'd probably like it). He can't believe he's doing this, but he wants it-- wants it like Levi's saying, wants it to be wet, to feel like Levi--

"Then I'm sticking it in you, Eren. It's tight, so tight, you're eating me up," Levi's voice ends on a moan, and Eren rushes to swipe his moistened fingertips against his entrance, picturing Levi licking at him, licking inside him, his breath coming out in harsh pants.

"You love it, don't you, Eren?" The question makes Eren's face burn more, if it's even possible, and he huffs out a shaky breath, warm air shooting back at his already overheated skin.

"Mmm," is what he gets out, he's far, far past forming words at this point.

"Eren," Levi whispers, and Eren grits his teeth to stifle a groan, fuck, the way Levi says his name, "I want you to do something for me."

Eren's fingers trail further around, touching the skin just before his balls, imagining it's Levi teasing him all the while. "Uh-huh..."

"Lean forward more, and spread your knees apart," Levi commands, and Eren complies easily, pressing his upper body further into the bed while his lower body rises. He shuffles his legs apart, tries not to think about the sight he must make, tries to think of nothing but Levi.

Levi must hear him rustling around, because he's crooning, "Good boy, Eren, you're so good."

Again Eren can't hold back a shameful sound at the praise, he should find it demeaning, he thinks, but he doesn't, he doesn't, and his dick is throbbing, he wants to touch himself so bad, but he waits, waits for Levi to keep talking.

"I've got something else for you," Levi purrs, and Eren's stomach coils tightly in response. "Do you know what it is?"

Eren squirms, desperate for the friction of the bedsheets against him, but he can't reach them in this position. His hips rolls forward helplessly as he stutters, "N-no..."

"That's alright, I promise you'll like it." Eren keeps his hips moving, slower now, focused on the sound of Levi's voice. "You do want my dick, don't you?"

Eren can't help himself, moaning as he wraps a hand around his neglected cock, squeezing just a little, willing himself not to move, he wants to come, god he does, but not yet, he needs Levi to--

"Don't worry, baby, I know you do," Levi says soothingly, "But first I want to enjoy your nice ass. So I'm gonna just pull those cheeks apart and rub my cock between them."

Another moan, and Eren rubs his fingers through the precum dripping from his tip, quickly shifting his hand around so he can trace his wet fingers along the crack of his behind.

"You feel amazing, Eren, you know that? You sound amazing too, and it's all for me, isn't it?"

Eren makes a weak sound, throat dry, though that's not the only reason he can't quite talk right now.

"I know it is," Levi murmurs, "And now I'm gonna run my cock against your hole, right where you want it, feel you shiver with how much you want it."

His fingers slide downwards to press against his entrance, and Eren's body jerks forward, breath leaving him all in a rush, a breath that sounds like Levi's name.

"How bad do you want it?" The filthy whisper echoes in Eren's mind, makes his fingers move faster, and he's moaning, soft little sounds with each breath that he takes.

"Would you beg for it, Eren? Would you cry for it?"

Eren's mouth hangs open, his cheek plastered against the pillow, moans getting louder as his hips start rolling again.

"I-- I--" Eren struggles, unable to think, to speak, "I'm-- Levi--"

His hand flies to his dick, squeezing again, and he groans brokenly when he realizes he can hear Levi panting softly through the phone. Eren can't wait anymore, and his hand flies back and forth, wrist aching from all the things he's been doing for the past who even knows how long, and he feels that wonderful tightening in his belly, hips pressing forward roughly as he feels the end nearing.

"Eren, you're almost there, aren't you? I can tell," Levi murmurs, voice terribly uneven, and the thought that Levi might be touching himself to this, along with a final frantic jerk to his cock, has him coming so hard a startled cry rips from his throat.

He can't think of anything at all for what feels like a long while, the thrum of his climax leaving his whole body tingling wonderfully. The first thing he tries to do is regain his breath, the labored sounds of his own breathing enough to catch his attention, bringing him out of his euphoria. His cramped wrist crumples down weakly, and Eren can feel a little bit of drool on his pillow but he really can't bring himself to care.

"You alright, Eren?"

Levi sounds slightly more composed, still a little ragged in a way that makes Eren's heartbeat stutter. He's suddenly aware of the ache in his back, the crick in his neck, and the burn in his thighs, and he carefully rolls onto his side, offering up a small, "Hmm..."

"You did good, Eren, so good," Levi says, and Eren's cheeks burn as his toes curl.

"I'm tired," he murmurs, voice low, and it's true, he's incredibly tired all of the sudden, and he jolts as Levi's voice rises just a bit.

"Don't go to sleep yet, go get cleaned up," comes Levi's somewhat stern voice. "I'm not there to clean you up, so you've gotta do it."

The words shouldn't make his breath hitch in his throat and his fingers twist in the sheets, but Eren finds that he wants that, wants it more than he should. The sudden desire for Levi to be here with him hits him like a punch to the gut, overwhelming him to the point where he feels an uncomfortable ache in his chest.

He's afraid, shouldn't this feeling have ended with the fantasy? Eren bites his lip, tries not to think about how Levi probably doesn't usually care enough to worry after people cleaning themselves up, and listens to Levi's quiet breath as he frets that the feeling seems to have gotten stronger.

"I... Yeah, I will," Eren forces himself to reply. He certainly is a complete and total mess right now, no argument there.

"You'll be thankful in the morning," Levi replies firmly, and Eren is hit with the realization that he hadn't heard Levi come. He wonders if he had, or if he'd only been pretending to be aroused to spur Eren on. He frowns before he can help himself.

"You sure you're okay?"

And then there's that concern again; not necessary, Levi doesn't need to show that, and Eren feels the frown melt off of his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He tries to sound sure of himself, though he's truthfully feeling rather confused.

Levi hums in response, and it's quiet for a few moments. Eren has a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he tries to form the words he wants to say with some difficulty.

"Is it..." Damn, it's not going to be easy is it? Eren takes a deep breath and makes himself continue, "Can I... Can I still call? Just to-- to talk?"

They may have just done something completely outrageous together, but in all honesty, Eren really does like just talking to Levi, and he's not sure if they've crossed some kind of line, if things can't go back to the way they'd been before.

"Of course you can," Levi says, sounding rather exasperated, "Why the hell wouldn't you be able to?"

The response makes his heart beat a little quicker in his chest, a stupid smile plastered on his face as his eyes slip shut. "Okay."

He feels content, and his eyes stay closed; almost as if Levi can sense it, he barks suddenly, "Damn it, don't go to sleep, you moron! Get up and clean yourself off."

Eren laughs, sliding along his bed and slinging his legs over the side. "Alright, alright, I'm going," he sighs, sounding much more put out than he actually feels.

They bid each other good night, and Eren drops his phone on the dresser next to his bed as he shuffles off to the bathroom, thoroughly determined not to think about anything until tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah just a short little story... *proceeds to write almost 6000 words for one chapter*
> 
> Holy shit. Dirty talk, man. Dirty talk IS REALLY HARD TO WRITE. I hope it turned out okay, I could only reread and tweak it so many times before my brain started to shut down. (My wrist actually hurts, though maybe not as much as Eren's, hohoho.)
> 
> I don't know when the next part will be up because if it ends up as lengthy as this one, it might be awhile. Hope you enjoy this for now! *passes out at keyboard in a fit of acute embarrassment and exhaustion*


	3. and you say you belong to me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More sexy times! And some plot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is even longer than the last chapter... oops

It's been some time since Eren's felt so well-rested. He rolls over onto his side, haziness still clouding his senses as he tries to slip back into the comfort of sleep.

He manages to doze off a little more, but eventually the brightness seeping through his flimsy curtains wakes him for the day. He sits up, yawning, and consoles himself with the thought that at least he doesn't have work today.

Eren shuffles out of bed, winning a surprisingly intense battle with the sheet wrapped this way and that around his body. Rubbing at his eye absentmindedly with one hand, Eren makes his way to the bathroom, engaging in the always joyous activity of relieving the build up in his bladder. Next he brushes his teeth, the attempt lazy at best, as he imagines what he's going to have for breakfast.

First things first - a quick detour from the quest for food to head back to his room so he can grab his phone. At the sight of it, sitting innocently on his bedside table, Eren cracks his hip against the side of his desk and lets out a wounded yelp, teetering over sideways to eventually collapse onto his bed. His eyes stay trained on the phone the entire time, panic starting to well up in his chest.

Things. They'd... happened.

...Lots of things.

Eren closes his eyes and plants his face into the bed, mattress muffling his whimper and absorbing the heat of his skin.

The worst part is, instead of feeling regret or shame, Eren's starting to feel a familiar tightening in his gut, and goddammit it, he's not a horny teenager anymore, he should be able to suppress this, push it to the background for now.

Yeah. That idea is fading quickly from the forefront of Eren's mind as his forming erection begins to strain against the confines of his boxers.

Fuck this, he's fucking hungry and now he has to go masturbate to the memory of Levi murmuring all kinds of kinky shit in his ear.

With a frenzied moan as he palms himself through the fabric, Eren hobbles as quickly as he can back to the bathroom.

He can't help wondering if Levi has found himself in a similar state this morning, or if that's wishful thinking.

\--

After his intense jacking off session, subsequent shower, and (barely) satisfying breakfast, Eren finds himself lying back in his bed, arm slung across his forehead as he contemplates the state of his life.

He'd considered himself normal just as recently as a few weeks ago. Back then, he'd had a job, a car, been on good terms with all of his friends, and lived a generally happy-go-lucky life. Now, Eren's pretty sure he's a criminal, he's distinctly lacking a car, one of his friends has turned into a mortal enemy, and he's getting way, way too attached to a guy who works a sex line for a living.

Eren slowly slides his hand down to cover his face. How quickly everything has gone to shit.

But the thing with Levi... it's not really shit, per se. It's...

Eren shifts around uncomfortably, ending up on his side, head cradled against his arm. The thing. The Levi thing.

He closes his eyes, lets out a long breath.

He likes Levi.

Whatever the fuck that means.

What is he even supposed to do with a revelation like this? The only reason they even speak to each other is because he's paying for it - well, Jean's paying for it, but that's another (criminal) issue. Eren groans pathetically, curling into himself.

He doesn't know what Levi even thinks of him, or if he thinks of him at all. Levi seems like a genuine person, but Eren doesn't really know that. And the thing is, he _wants_ to; he wants to know all about Levi, what makes him laugh and what pisses him off and what he dreams about and what his lips look like when they form the word 'Eren.'

God, he's so screwed.

\--

Most of the day is spent moping, though Eren tries to at least be a little productive (maybe his attempt at organizing files on his laptop isn't all that productive in retrospect, especially since he'd given up halfway through).

Armin calls and asks if he and some of the guys can come over tonight to hang out since it's been far too long since they've done that - which is extremely true, and Eren has his mouth open to say 'hell yeah!' when he suddenly freezes.

He definitely can't call Levi later if he has people over.

Eren pretends he isn't blushing as he tells Armin he has other plans, but another day would probably work.

\--

Eren kind of wishes he knew Levi's schedule. Shit, that's such a creepy thought.

It's really goddamn annoying how his entire day has pretty much revolved around his desire to talk to Levi.

Not even to do weird things, though that... certainly wouldn't be a bad development. Eren shakes his head pathetically at his own self as he lies sprawled along his couch.

Why is he even spending so much time worrying about this? It's not like it would matter if (when) Levi were to reject him and call him a creep, because this whole thing is a ticking time bomb, anyway, one with Jean's name stretched around the middle of it.

Eren rolls off the couch with an agitated sigh, running a hand through his hair. He's considering going back to trying to organize his files when he realizes it's almost nine, and Levi should definitely be there by now.

Still somewhat in denial, Eren makes his way to his bedroom, heart thumping in his chest. This doesn't mean anything. It doesn't.

He picks up the credit card without really looking at it, continuing past his desk.

It's just supposed to be about getting back at Jean, he tells himself as he slips his pajama bottoms off and crawls into bed, huddling under the sheets.

He's always been a terrible liar though, even in his own mind.

Before long, he's waiting with trembling fingers and bated breath to hear the sound of Levi's voice.

"Good evening, Levi speaking, and who might this be?"

"Hey, it's Eren." His voice doesn't even shake this time; he's almost proud of that in a weird way.

"Ah..." There's a pause that makes Eren break out into a cold sweat. "I wasn't sure if you'd call."

Eren realizes he's biting his lip, hard. He lets up quickly, running his tongue over the skin to soothe it, waiting for his brain to supply him with something to reply with but so far he's coming up blank.

"I'm glad that you did, if you were thinking otherwise," Levi says after a few moments, sounding just a touch amused, and Eren lets out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"Sorry, um." He scratches at his cheek, wondering how he can make things not awkward. "I just... I'm trying not to be weird, but I think I'm failing."

Levi chuckles, and the weight in his chest lifts slightly. "Don't feel weird. Really, there's nothing to feel weird about."

Eren tries to take these words to heart. "So how was your day?"

...Oh god. Is there even a more awkward question? Maybe he should start discussing the weather next.

"Hm, boring," Levi answers, like it's not the lamest thing Eren could've said. "Got up late, I hate that. Had an argument with one of my neighbors, hate that too. I did get some cleaning done, though."

He's not sure how the atmosphere has shifted so quickly, but Eren already feels a lot calmer. "I tried to do some cleaning... well, organizing. Computer files, actually."

"Intense workout, sounds like," Levi quips, and Eren smiles.

"I broke a sweat a few times, but that might have been because I came across embarrassing pictures of myself in high school."

Levi laughs, the sound warm and easy, and Eren likes that, likes when he can catch Levi off guard and hear his natural reaction.

"If you were smart, you would've deleted those long ago. Less blackmail material later in life, you know."

Eren grins, leaning his head back against the headboard. "I can't help it, I'm sort of a pack rat."

"Disgusting," Levi returns, but he doesn't sound disgusted at all. "It would probably take me days to clean all of your shit."

His eyes close for a moment before Eren replies, "I'm not that bad, really... it's an organized mess. I have piles and everything."

"Piles of shit, you mean."

"Shut up, asshole. I'm very clean and organized, I just happen to have a lot of stuff shoved into a small space."

"And yet nothing at all shoved into that tiny brain of yours. How unfortunate."

Eren's not quite sure why this insult brings his earlier thought of liking Levi to the forefront of his mind, but there it is, flashing obtrusively like a neon sign he can't ignore even if he tries.

"Did I offend you?" Levi asks suddenly, and Eren realizes he's gone silent without meaning to.

"Oh please, I've heard better insults than that," Eren replies, rubbing a hand against the side of his neck. "It'd take much more than that to throw me off."

"Really now?" Levi's voice takes on a teasing tone, one that makes Eren suddenly grip the phone a little tighter. "I'm sure I could find something to say that would throw you off."

Eren could let it slide. He doesn't have to say anything, he can play it off.

"Hey... can I ask you something, Levi?"

Why the hell does his mouth always do what it wants without first consulting his brain?

"Yeah, go ahead."

Eren's mouth inexplicably feels dry as a bone. He clears his throat, hand absentmindedly curling around his knee.

"Do you..."

Fuck, don't ask it, don't do it--

"Are you uh... seeing anyone? Dating? I mean, uh."

Eren is currently contemplating whether he can realistically suffocate himself with his pillow or if he should head to the shower to drown himself, because what in the hell is he trying to do here, shit, Levi isn't saying anything either--

"Well..." Levi pauses, and Eren grips at his knee so tightly it hurts. "No. It's hard to have a relationship when you do something like this for a living." He's still unable to release his knee, fingers somehow digging in even further as Levi continues, "Why do you ask?"

He needs to answer, and quick, even if it's incoherent babble. "I was just... wondering. I mean, I..." He can feel his breathing pick up, and he struggles to tear his hand away from his knee before he ends up crushing the bone into little pieces. "Earlier, today... I was thinking about you. And I was wondering if you... think about... people." Eren pauses, throat dry again. "Or if you, you know. Have someone that you already think about."

It suddenly feels much too hot under the sheet, and Eren kicks it to the side irritably. The seconds are dragging on without a response, and Eren thinks maybe he should hang up. Maybe this is all so utterly and ridiculously out of control and he should just end it while he still has some grasp on his sanity.

"Alright, Eren," Levi says finally, and Eren sits up straighter at his tone. "You asked me a question, so I'm gonna ask you one."

Eren feels his pulse quicken, and he breathes out quietly, "Yeah, okay."

"Are you saying all this because you want me to get you off?"

"Wha--" Eren freezes, blood running suddenly cold, and he realizes that he must have read everything wrong, completely miscalculated, god, he feels like such an ass right now--

"Because I get paid to listen to a lot of shit, Eren." He shouldn't have done this, any of this, Eren gets it now. His eyes squeeze shut as he waits for Levi to hammer the final nail in the coffin.

"And then there's the shit that you wouldn't really have to pay me to listen to."

The words hang heavy in the air for a few long moments, running through Eren's mind over and over until he can grasp them, and the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach starts to dissipate, the corners of his lips start to twitch up, and his neck feels warm, his cheeks feel warm, even the tips of his ears.

"...Oh..." is all he can manage, feeling terribly embarrassed yet pleased as he pulls his knees upward, resting his heated face against them.

Levi makes a sound of mock frustration, and Eren smiles, tries to think of something to say that will be an adequate response. His mind is mush, though, and he lets out a sound that's a weird cross between a laugh and a sigh.

"Hey, Eren," Levi begins, voice an octave lower than it'd just been, "Where are you right now?"

He tries not to shiver as he closes his eyes, running a hand lightly along his thigh while he murmurs, "In bed."

"Hm, that's good," Levi replies, and Eren stretches his legs out again, fingers still trailing along, now toward his hip.

"So you were thinking about me, huh?"

Eren bites his lip, feeling the anticipation start to burn in his belly. "Yeah..."

"That's good, too."

It's quiet for a bit, and Eren focuses on the sound of Levi breathing. His fingers start to slip beneath the hem of his boxers, tracing random patterns against his quivering stomach.

"Levi... I want you to touch me."

He almost can't believe his own bravery, or is it stupidity? Eren can never be sure.

"Of course I will, Eren," Levi murmurs, "But I need you to take off your underwear for me."

Eren's already awkwardly yanking his boxers down as soon as Levi starts speaking, and he tries not to huff in irritation as he finally manages to get them off, tossing them carelessly to the side.

Levi chuckles, and Eren realizes he must not have been as quiet as he'd thought.

"Impatient, aren't you? That's alright, baby. After all, we didn't even get to the good part last time."

Eren flops back against his pillows with a breathy sigh, unable to hold it in as the words bring back a vivid recollection of just what had happened last night. He tugs his shirt up a little, trailing his fingers around his navel as he lets out a harsh breath through his nose.

"You getting hard thinking about it, Eren?" Levi phrases it as a question, but it sounds more like a statement. Maybe because the answer is obvious.

"Yeah," he whispers as he continues touching himself, light and teasing.

"I bet you got hard earlier too, didn't you?"

Eren bites his lip, finding it a little difficult to admit such a thing, but it is indeed true. "Uh-huh..."

Levi chuckles, then breathes quietly, "And I bet you got yourself all ready for me, right, Eren?"

Eren thinks back to the questing finger he'd worked inside himself in the shower earlier, cheeks flushing in both parts arousal and embarrassment. "Um... yes," he admits, finally letting his hand brush against his erection.

"Fuck, Eren, you're such a good boy," Levi hisses, and Eren can't really stifle the moan that comes out, doesn't actually try that hard to, as he starts to stroke himself slowly.

"I love how bad you want my cock, Eren. It makes me wanna fuck you til your eyes roll back in your head."

Eren lets out a whimper, running his fingers along the tip of his cock, desperately wishing he had some better form of lubrication, but this will have to do.

"Would you like that, huh? You want me buried inside you, Eren?"

"Yeah," Eren grunts, eyes fluttering closed as he carefully presses a finger against his entrance, slowly tries to work it in while he listens to Levi's quickening breath.

"I'm gonna spread your legs for me, baby. That's right where you want me, isn't it?"

Eren slides his finger in a bit deeper, to the knuckle as he shuffles his legs apart, as he mutters Levi's name.

"I know, I know," Levi soothes. "I can't wait to be in you either, can't wait to bend you in half and fuck you til you lose your mind."

"Levi," he whines, back arching as he wiggles his finger in deeper, imagines it's something else, something better--

"Shit, you're amazing, Eren," Levi whispers, "God, I just wanna worship that ass, look how needy it is for me."

Eren lets out a huff of air, shakily brushes his other fingers along the skin before his balls, lets himself imagine it's Levi lavishing attention there.

"How bout I do it slow, baby? Roll my hips, inch by inch..." Levi's voice seems like it's everywhere, all around him, inside his head. "I wanna watch my cock go in that hole, stretch it open like it's never been."

"God," Eren moans, he can't even breathe, feels like he's gasping for air. He pants as he presses deeper, shifts his hips around.

"So tight, Eren," Levi moans, and Eren squirms restlessly as Levi continues, "You need my dick to fill you up, don't you? This is just what you want, isn't it, Eren?"

" _Yes_ ," he hisses, the burn below turning into something incredibly pleasurable, dick straining and leaking as he starts moving his finger in and out.

"Fuck, you just eat me right up, Eren." Levi's voice washes over him, low and breathy and intoxicating. "It's like that hole's made for my cock."

"It is," Eren murmurs, not realizing he's said the words aloud until he hears Levi's sharp intake of breath. His neck flushes but damn, it's too late to care, and Levi's voice is whispering in his ear again in the next moment, distracting him from any shame he might feel.

"So greedy for me, Eren. So greedy for my dick, like you'd die if you couldn't have it."

Eren can't stand it anymore, a pathetic sound leaving him as he slides his finger out rougher than he'd meant to, then shakily wrapping a hand around his neglected cock. His moan is so loud he almost thinks it isn't him, but he doesn't think on it, doesn't dwell on it, just mindlessly starts running his hand over himself, panting heavily.

"So greedy," Levi repeats breathlessly, "But that's not enough, is it?" Levi sighs, the rest coming out mildly strained, "You want all of it, all of me, don't you? Eren?"

That gasp of his name has Eren fumbling to spread his legs wider, hips snapping upward with each thrust. "Yes, yes," he moans, because he does, he wants everything, whatever Levi has to give him, he wants it all.

"I know, so just lie back, baby," Levi instructs, voice just a tad uneven, and Eren nods fervently, paying no mind to the fact that Levi can't see it. "You can have me, Eren. How about I just split myself right open on your cock, pull you in so deep you never wanna leave?"

A strangled sound escapes his throat as his hand tightens around himself, trying to recreate what it might feel like, fuck, it'd be sublime, he knows it, and pulls at himself once, twice, keeping his fist tight, gasping Levi's name.

"You love it, right? You love fucking me." Levi's voice has somehow gotten even lower, deeper, and Eren kicks his leg to the side in frustration, because it's not enough, not enough, yet, as he continues tugging harshly at his cock.

"I, I want you to..." Eren can barely recognize the sound of his own voice, strangled and foreign to his own ears, but he tries not to think about it. "...To feel good, I wanna make you feel good too," Eren finishes, cheeks flushing at his own words. To this point he's mostly just agreed with whatever Levi's said, but it's the truth, and he wants Levi to know that.

"But you do," Levi croons, "You've made a mess of me, Eren, shit, d-don't you see that?"

That stutter, all his mind can focus on is that stutter, something he hasn't heard before, and Eren squeezes his dick roughly to keep from coming at the sound of it, at the way Levi's breathing through the phone, and he doesn't doubt this time that Levi's touching himself (is he even supposed to do that, Eren doesn't know, doesn't give a shit), maybe he's even fucking himself with his fingers, imagining it's Eren, only Eren driving him wild--

"You're so good," Levi pants roughly, blood rushing straight to Eren's cock, his eyes fluttering shut, "So good for me, so good to me, Eren, so perfect." Heat blossoms in his neck, spreads to his cheeks, makes him gasp, and Levi's voice, previously nothing more than a pant or a murmur, turns suddenly desperate, cracking as he shouts, "Fuck me Eren, fuck me!"

"Jesus fucking Christ," Eren whimpers, slamming the heel of his foot into the mattress as he grasps at himself wildly, wrist twisting almost painfully with how frantically he's moving, but holy fuck, he doesn't care, doesn't care, and he's moaning, "Levi, fuck, you're--!"

"Come on, Eren," Levi urges, "Come on, wreck me, do it!"

"Shit," Eren breathes, hips jerking, embarrassing sounds spilling from his lips as he works to finish himself off, and with the final grain of sense he has left rattling around in his brain he rasps out, "L-Levi, are you close?"

He receives a laugh in response, sexy, breathy, and broken in all the right ways; Levi's voice is warm, tinged with something maybe like affection as he assures, "Yes, you imbecile." Eren bites his lip and groans, and he knows all it'll take is one more word, one more sigh, and he's going to come undone.

"Now come inside, baby, make me yours," Levi commands huskily, and Eren does just that, hips surging forward as his dick jerks in his hand, a high whine ripping from his throat as he envisions Levi clamping down around him, Levi moaning his name, shit, Levi _is_ moaning his name, which is enough to steal the rest of the breath from his lungs, and he falls back against the bed, panting and boneless.

It takes quite some time for Eren's head to stop spinning, grip slackening on the phone clutched in his hand so much that it slips down onto his pillow. His fingers twitch slowly to wrap around it again after a few moments of breathing hard, and he presses it to his ear eagerly, unable to quell his desire to hear Levi, his breathing, his voice.

Just then Levi sighs, drawn out and satisfied, and even though he hasn't actually said anything Eren wants to roll over and bury his face in the pillow.

"Eren... you okay?" Levi's voice is calmer, quieter, and (Eren hates to think it, but) sort of intimate.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he replies softly, stretching his legs out. "Good. Great, yeah."

Levi chuckles, and Eren closes his eyes, pretends Levi's lying right there with him, even though he knows it's a dangerous thought.

"You?" Eren adds as an afterthought. It seems like Levi's always showing unnecessary concern after him, so maybe it's okay for Eren to do the same.

"Hm... messy."

Eren's heart does a strange tumble in his chest, and he stutters, "A-ah, yeah... I mean, I am too, but. Uh. You..."

"Calm down," Levi says, sounding mildly amused. "You're babbling."

At that, his cheeks turn suddenly warm. "Shut up," he grouses, rolling onto his side, groping blindly for the boxers he'd discarded earlier.

"It's cute."

Eren's hand freezes where it is, fingers gripping tightly at the sheets as he mutters, "What the hell, Levi?"

"Sorry, sorry," Levi replies quickly. "I mean, it's manly as fuck when you can't even form a sentence."

"Hey!" Eren yells indignantly, sitting up straight and abandoning his quest for his missing boxers. "You aren't always composed either," he grumbles, voice low and embarrassed.

Levi makes a small sound, but doesn't say anything for a moment. When he does, Eren thinks he might pass out.

"It is sexy, though. That you can get reduced to an incoherent mess like that."

His breath leaves him in a rush, and he leans back against the headboard, head buzzing again as he bites his lip. Shit, he just knows he's about to say something stupid.

"Levi... I think..."

"Yeah?"

_I like you._

It's easy, it's just a few words.

Now's as perfect a time as any.

Eren's heart seems to be jammed in his throat, pulse pounding in his ears.

"Eren?"

He can't say it.

"It's nothing," he breathes, the bitter feeling on his tongue remaining long after the call has ended.

\--

Eren hates this feeling. He's just-- conflicted. Confused.

He's always been brash, always rushed into things without thinking them through, but this... this is a whole other level. He can't even imagine trying to explain his situation to someone, they wouldn't even believe him.

Eren groans, burying his face in his hands.

He needs to get a better grip on reality, because he must be living in some kind of fantasy universe. Wherever he is right now, it's most certainly not the real world.

He starts as his phone rings; it's Armin, going on about how it's the weekend, and Eren agrees without a moment's hesitation that Armin and the others can hang out at his place later on.

This will be good for him, he assures himself. Human interaction.

Not that Levi's not a person, but...

Oh god, Eren feels like his sanity is slowly leaving him with each breath he takes.

This will definitely be good for him, if he can make it til then.

\--

"Who the hell invited him?" Eren hisses, dragging Armin into the kitchen none too gently.

"Eren," Armin admonishes, tugging his arm free, "You know Jean didn't mean to do it. It was an accident, and if the tables were turned, wouldn't you--"

Eren groans loudly, cutting off Armin's rant. "No, I'd be fucking happy that I had an excuse not to talk to that asswipe any longer."

Armin's glare is piercing, and Eren falters just a little.

"Fine, he can stay," he grumbles, crossing his arms. "But he better not try to talk to me or I'm tossing him out the goddamn window."

\--

Eren does his best to treat Jean like he's a potted plant for the remainder of the afternoon, and receives the same treatment in return. He's rather grateful, but he'd never admit it out loud.

Everyone's getting ready to leave, and Jean dawdles behind, throwing out a quick, "I gotta take a piss" to no one in particular.

Eren sighs and flops down on his couch, mind automatically drifting back to Levi. Why, why does it have to happen. Fuck his life.

It had been nice, laughing and catching up and eating take out and even glaring at Jean every couple of minutes; it had all been great, like he could almost pretend he hadn't jerked off to the voice of a guy he's never met the past two nights.

His fingers slip into his pocket to run along the edge of his phone, then absentmindedly shift to his other pocket, where he's used to feeling Jean's credit card. His eyes pop open when he realizes it's not there, but then he remembers he left it sitting on his desk.

That's all well and good, until he realizes that Jean is still in his fucking apartment and is taking way too long for a trip to the bathroom.

He can almost hear the ticking of the time bomb that spells his impending doom as he stiffly makes his way to his bedroom, and he's not surprised to see Jean there. He's standing next to the desk, staring down at the little square-shaped piece of plastic with his name emblazoned on it, clutching something in his hand that Eren can't really be bothered to think about right now.

Jean's eyes dart up as Eren enters the room, expression instantly changing from one of surprise and mild confusion to one of pure fury. He snatches up the credit card and makes a beeline for Eren, sneering in his face, "Are you fucking kidding me, Jaeger? You stole my fucking credit card? What kind of dickless move is that, huh?"

Eren tries to be indignant, or at least make some kind of argument for his actions, but he finds he can't. Jean shakes his head and laughs, the sound harsh and biting.

"You know what, Eren? _Fuck_ you." At this, Eren finds something being shoved into his hand, and he looks down in confusion to see it's a plain envelope. He looks back up to Jean, a question on his lips, but he's almost afraid to voice it.

"It's a check," Jean spits, tossing his head to the side. "For the repairs to your car. I didn't have the money right when it happened, but I wanted to get it to you as soon as I could."

Eren feels his face fall, mouth going slack, fuck, he's such a screw up, all he can do is mumble, "Jean..."

"Fuck you," Jean repeats, striding past him without a backwards glance.

Eren stands frozen to the spot as he hears his apartment door slam, staring at the envelope in his hands with a heavy weight in his chest.

\--

He cannot even believe how bad he's fucked this one up.

Eren is lying in his bed, arms folded behind his head as he stares at the ceiling, the envelope sitting delicately on his chest.

Well, that dose of reality he'd been looking for has surely hit him now, sobering him up like a cold shower. Or a bolt of lightning. Or any other painful metaphor he's too depressed to conjure up.

Every single thing he's done for the past few days seems incredibly fucking stupid, and he wants to ram his head into the wall and maybe knock himself out so he doesn't have to think about it anymore. (Or maybe he'll call Jean and have him do it, he'd probably be game for that.)

Eren groans as he envisions what Jean's going to do to him when he sees his bill. He's probably looking at it right now. Or he's already looked at it and is passed out cold on the floor, like Eren had wanted; now, the thought only leaves him feeling sick.

"You're fucked," he says aloud, lifting the envelope above his head.

He lets it fall after a few moments, hoping maybe the corner of it will cut his skin and he'll bleed out here, leaving his utterly ridiculous problems behind.

Instead, he just pokes himself in the eye.

"Ow," he mumbles pathetically.

\--

Eren somehow manages to drift off into a fitful nap, which is broken quite easily by a rapid pounding on his door. He staggers out of bed, slipping on his shoes and running a hand awkwardly through his hair as he makes his way to the door.

He's not entirely surprised to see that it's Jean, but instead of the punch he's expecting, he's being dragged out the door and cursed all the way to the car.

\--

"Like, what would even _possess_ someone to do shit like that?"

Jean continues addressing and gesturing toward the road ahead of him, not sparing Eren a second glance after he'd thrown him into the passenger seat. Eren hadn't argued when Jean insisted they were going down to the 'fucking sex operator - what in the actual fuck, Jaeger' to try to explain the situation and get the charges removed. As Eren had learned from the terse words forced out through a perpetually clenched jaw, the grace period for reporting the card stolen had apparently passed, and only a small portion of the charges would be removed from Jean's bill.

Eren's pretty sure this exchange isn't going to go well, but Jean might toss him from the car and run him over if he says anything, so he keeps quiet.

Apparently the credit card company suggested this method, so, maybe there's some merit to it.

\--

The rest of the drive is long, boring, and excruciatingly tense; Jean's mood does not improve at all during the trip (not that Eren's really expecting it to), and the two times he almost gets lost probably doesn't help matters any.

When they finally pull up to the building in question, Eren can't help wondering if maybe they'd gotten more turned around than either of them had realized. Jean seems sure this is the right place, but with its tiny parking lot, quaint structure and plain sign hanging above the door, Eren really feels like there's no way this is it.

But the name splashed on the sign is the same one Eren had seen plastered on his computer screen that night, so perhaps this is indeed the place they're looking for. The thought makes him gulp, and he fights the urge to pull at his collar, which feels suddenly tight.

"Come on, fuckface," Jean mutters, pushing Eren square in the center of his back, then walking past him as he stumbles awkwardly.

"That was totally unnecessary," Eren calls after him, scowling, but he doesn't push it further. He follows after Jean as fast as his legs (which seem to have turned to jelly) will carry him, cursing his poor decision-making skills all the while.

Eren can't help but fall eerily silent as they enter the building, almost forgetting to breathe as his feet shuffle slowly along. They're in a hallway, unassuming and in no way intimidating, but Eren feels like he's about to drop dead on the floor. Meanwhile, Jean seems so enraged that he might break through a wall. He wonders what kind of sight they must make.

There are doors off to the left and the right, but they continue on ahead, going through what appears to be the main door. There's a woman sitting at a desk, looking through some papers - at least, until she hears them come in. Well, she hears Jean, probably, since he's currently muttering to himself and stomping toward her after slamming the door open. Eren follows meekly in his wake, wondering why he actually has to be here for this.

Eren tunes out Jean's ranting and wild gesticulations, instead taking a moment to gaze at his surroundings. Everything seems so... normal. He's not sure what he'd been expecting, but certainly not this.

He jolts back to the situation at hand as Jean sneers, "Earth to Jaeger." Eren bats away the hand waving in his face and the two of them head off to wherever the girl is taking them. Even Jean is quiet this time as they head through another doorway, emerging in a spacious room filled with cubicles along with many doors littered about. Again, not what Eren had been expecting, but he supposes that this is a business like any other, even if it's... Well, no need to go any deeper into that thought.

"He'll be out to speak with you shortly." The girl smiles sweetly (though Eren questions the sincerity of it), gesturing for them to sit at a small unoccupied cubicle off in the corner. Thankfully there are two chairs, since Eren's pretty sure Jean would not be willing to give up the lone seat.

The direness of the situation is still evading Eren's grasp for the moment. He feels like he's floating, observing another person go through this insanity. It's just incredibly surreal.

Casting a glance over at Jean to see him lazily leaning a cheek against his fist, Eren muffles a sigh and looks around the room. There are people in a couple of the cubicles, some on headsets, some holding a phone in hand. His eyes travel along, watching a man step into one of the mysterious rooms off to the side, closing the door behind him.

Eren awkwardly turns back to face forward, staring at his knees. He doesn't want to think too much about what's going on around him or his head might explode.

He absentmindedly thinks that this feels like he's sitting outside the principal's office, waiting for a scolding... except it's more like a police station, and he's waiting for his sentence. Eren tries not to gulp audibly.

He tries to focus on breathing, instead. He runs his hands along the arms of the chair, then settles a loose grip around them. 

Maybe this will work out. Maybe they'll be able to do something about the charges, and if not, maybe Jean will make his death relatively quick.

Eren lets his eyes slip shut. He's not going to think about it. It's too late now, anyway.

He lets his mind drift back to the peaceful afternoon he'd had, the first semblance of normalcy in his life for awhile. There's a ghost of a smile on his face when he suddenly hears it, two words that drift over like they're carried on a breeze, meant for him; they settle deep inside his brain, making his eyes pop open and his jaw clench.

"Night, Levi!"

The next few seconds seem like they're going by in slow motion, his brain breaking down piece by piece.

Every muscle in Eren's body seems to freeze, leaving him cold and still as a statue, hands gripping the arms of the chair so tight he doesn't know how they're not snapping. His heart stops, then starts again, beating twice as fast as before, and when he finally regains his senses he swivels around, eyes raking furiously over the room.

His heart races as his nails dig into the wood beneath his fingers, and his eyes finally fall on the door leading to the small hallway they'd walked through to get here. If Levi's leaving, that's most likely the way he'd go.

What's he thinking? What's he doing, letting himself think things like this?

Eren pries his hands from the chair, rubs his sweaty palms against his knees.

Seriously, what the _fuck_ is he doing?

Eren can't answer that, but he's currently bolting toward that door, ignoring Jean's confused and outraged voice calling after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...What? DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT.
> 
> Sooo um stuff happened? A Jean redemption arc appeared?? Does anyone even care about this? (I do, I love Jean.) How many questions can I ask in these notes?
> 
> Anyway. Ugh the dirty talk has slain me. I hope it turned out alright, I am still uncertain about it, ehhh. But holy shit, all of the wonderful feedback on the last chapter really lifted my spirits and inspired me to keep going ;v; THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE! I can't tell you how much it means to me.
> 
> ALSO the amazingly talented whiteyoukai drew an absolutely beautiful fanart of a scene from chapter 2! (I'm still actually speechless about it, oh my god.) PLEASE check it out on deviantart -http://whiteyoukai.deviantart.com/art/Lend-Me-Your-Ear-406627168 or tumblr - http://whiteyoukai.tumblr.com/post/63774117518/first-of-all-this-drawing-was-inspired-by-a
> 
> Thanks to everyone again, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. and ease my mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MEETINGS. Yes. What everyone has been waiting for. (I think.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check out the beautiful whiteyoukai's lovely art of a scene from chapter 3! You can see it on deviantart - http://whiteyoukai.deviantart.com/art/Jean-and-Eren-in-the-Office-408441006 or tumblr - http://whiteyoukai.tumblr.com/post/64588606673/2nd-drawing-for-the-loveliest-story-lend-me-your
> 
> More notes at the end!

_'Hey, Eren. What did you do this weekend?'_

_'Oh nothing much. Just hung out with Jean a little bit, nothing major.'_

_'Oh yeah? What'd you guys do?'_

_'Same old, same old. Took a drive down to the sex operator and I ran after the guy I kinda have the hots for. You know, the one I've never seen?'_

Eren would almost laugh at himself, but his brain is in overdrive as he darts past cubicles and makes a beeline for the door. He doesn't want to think, doesn't want to doubt himself, so he just keeps moving, and in the next moment he's barreling past the now empty desk, and he's in the hallway, and--

His footsteps falter as he sees someone, and Eren almost freezes, well, he does, really; there are a few seconds where he can't even process anything other than the pounding in his ears and the coldness of his limbs, and he forces himself to shout, "Levi!"

He's not sure what to expect, if the guy will even turn around, if it even is Levi, and if it is, _if it is_ , good god if it is then what in the hell is Eren even going to--

And then he is turning, and--

"What is it?"

And Eren feels like melting right into the floor, because he knows, it is, it's Levi, and it's so-- so absolutely strange to be looking at this man, to hear Levi's voice leaving his lips, his rather nice thin lips, and well, everything about him is rather nice, from the darkness of his hair to the arch of his eyebrow to the tilt of his chin and the slant of his cheekbones, and shit, Eren wants to smile, because he can tell Levi's shorter than he is - _black hair and not average height_ \- and then there's his eyes, which are starting to narrow, and Eren realizes he needs to say something, but--

But what, what's there to say, and Eren selfishly wishes that Levi had recognized his voice, but that is really selfish, he shouldn't expect Levi to, especially not when it's strangled and strained like it had been, well, not even when it's normal, because why would Levi--

"I--"

He takes a step forward, unsure what he wants to even say, when he suddenly feels a hand wrapped around his upper arm, Jean's voice shouting in his ear, "What are you doing, Eren? What the hell!"

But Eren doesn't turn around to answer, just watches as Levi's eyes drift over to Jean the moment he appears, the way he takes in his appearance, the way his eyes flicker back to Eren, the way they start to widen, and then he sees it, what he's been wanting to see, recognition, interest, and a hell of a lot of surprise, but he's not fleeing, so maybe it's not bad surprise--

"Eren! Come on, what the fuck, man!"

Eren shakes him off, still doesn't turn around, and finally finds his voice.

"I have to... I have to go."

Levi's still staring at him like he doesn't know what to make of him, and Eren feels like he's completely fucked up what could have been some really big defining moment, though that's a self-important thought if he's ever had one.

Eren lets himself be dragged away by Jean, feeling a strange twinge of regret in the pit of his stomach - whether it's for running after Levi in the first place (seriously, what the fuck had he been expecting to happen?), or for doing nothing once he had, Eren's not entirely sure. 

\--

Eren is currently staring blankly down at his knees as Jean passionately explains his case to the man who's (apparently) in charge. Though he'd introduced himself with a dazzling smile not ten minutes ago, Eren can't recall his name, not that he's particularly interested in it, anyway.

He feels like an ass. Not just because of what he's done to Jean, but because of everything he's done with Levi. Somehow the entire situation had spiraled so out of control, and now he's ended up here, supposedly aiding in a dispute over credit card charges but instead simply wallowing in self pity.

There are so many things he should have done differently - obviously he shouldn't have taken Jean's card, and he shouldn't have come up with this plan, and after that first talk with Levi he should never have called back, and... god, he shouldn't have let himself get so involved, let it get so out of hand, and he most definitely shouldn't have run after Levi like he had, like he'd--

As he sits here thinking about it, he doesn't even know what he'd been hoping to accomplish. He knows he'd wanted to see Levi, desperately, and the image of him is still emblazoned in Eren's mind; though he hadn't looked anything at all like what Eren had thought of (not that he'd had many details at his disposal), it's not ... it definitely isn't a bad thing. If he's a little short and angular and lean, if his hair is dark and his eyes light and his brows thin, if his face is capable of looking both impassive and surprisingly expressive, well, Eren can't find a damn thing wrong with any of it.

The warm feeling in his chest at his current train of thought melts away rather quickly as Eren suddenly recalls that before arriving here, he'd been tossing and turning in his bed. In the few moments that he had seen Levi, brief as it had been, Eren couldn't help but notice how neat and put together he'd looked. With a poorly concealed grimace, he glances down at himself in mild horror, checking his shirt for wrinkles, and is relieved to find he doesn't look too bad. As discreetly as possible (well, not that it matters, since Jean is leaning forward intently and the other man is also, smile looking far less dazzling), Eren reaches up and combs his fingers through his hair a few times. Not that it matters now.

"I certainly wouldn't wanna have to _sue_ you."

Jean's voice cuts through the haze of Eren's mind all of the sudden, and by the way he puts special emphasis on the word 'sue' Eren realizes he's trying to threaten the guy. Even in his wallowing state, Eren figures there's no way this can end well.

As expected, not to be outdone, the man leans even closer, smile now reduced to an ugly stretch of the lips. "If you want to _sue_ someone, I suggest you look next to you, not at me."

There's a beat, and Eren lets out an annoyed sigh. So this is what it comes down to.

"Just stop," he says calmly as he stands up, and Eren can tell by the look in Jean's eyes that he thinks he's about to bolt again. Can't really blame him, but Eren hadn't been able to explain to Jean why he had in the first place, so. (Can't explain it to Jean if he can't explain it to himself, after all.)

"I'll pay it." 

Eren looks straight at Jean as he says it, as he promises it, because he will. Even if it takes a long time, even if his wallet is crying out in his pocket at the prospect, he will do it.

Some of the tension seems to leave Jean's shoulders at the words, and the man jumps up from his seat, excitedly proclaiming that it's a good thing this whole mess is now cleared up. Eren and Jean both watch silently as he makes a beeline for the hallway, disappearing through the door before either one of them can utter another word.

"Hey," Jean mutters quietly, and Eren looks back to see he's now standing as well. "You mean that?"

Eren nods, glancing away.

It's the first step in getting his life back in order, he's sure of it. 

And he's definitely in desperate need of that.

\--

Jean is still radiating anger, but it's less lethal than before, and Eren feels like he can actually breathe. They walk next to each other now, instead of Jean storming off on his own and leaving Eren to follow after him.

Eren digs his hands in his pockets as they exit the building, and Jean actually turns to him and says something as they walk forward, but Eren has no fucking clue what it is, because there, standing a few feet away with his back turned, is Levi.

As the two of them draw closer, Levi turns slightly, and Eren feels the bottom of his stomach fall out as those eyes land on him. His breath leaves him in a noisy huff, and Jean turns to look at him strangely, but Eren's eyes are still glued to Levi. He notices belatedly that Levi's on the phone, or had been - he's currently putting it back in his pocket, and Eren's hands feel clammy as he's now standing right in front of the other man.

Jean moves to keep walking, then glances back in confusion. "Eren?"

Obviously Eren can't answer, instead staring at Levi, and he'd feel kind of creepy if Levi weren't looking at him with the same amount of interest.

"This guy again?" Jean asks, and Eren glances at him to see his head cocked to the side. "How do you even--"

Eren would laugh at the horrified look of realization that sweeps over Jean's face as his eyes rove between Levi and himself if he weren't currently so tense.

"Uh," Eren starts, unsure what he's even planning to say, but Jean cuts him off with a frantic shake of his head.

He waves his hands in front of him, muttering vehemently, "I can't even fucking deal with this right now." Eren watches him walk away for a few moments (he supposes he'll just have to call a cab or something), then turns back to Levi.

"So the jig is up, I take it."

Eren chuckles awkwardly, attempting to run a hand through his hair but aborting the move halfway through. (Smooth as hell, as always.) "I'd say the jig is down, actually. Six feet under, roundabouts."

It's so odd to have Levi standing before him, still. Eren watches the way he shifts, the way his eyes flicker across Eren's face, the tiniest of smiles that appears at Eren's words.

And then one of Levi's hands is rising, and Eren tries not to choke as careful fingers rest lightly on his chest. Levi regards him for a moment before commenting idly, "You didn't tell me you were attractive."

Eren freezes, struggling to fight down the flush that's trying to spread in his neck. His heart flutters pathetically at the statement, and with a nervous smile he replies, "Neither did you."

At that, Levi's eyes widen just a bit, and a small smile curls his lips as he looks off to the side. The tip of his nail catches on one of the buttons on Eren's shirt, and his pulse pounds heavily in his ears at the playful tug.

The touch is gone in the next instant, and Levi turns away even more, folding his arms. "I'm just waiting for my cab."

"Oh?" Eren asks, shuffling closer. "I should call one, too..." He pauses, glancing over, but Levi's eyes are still trained forward. "Do you not drive, or...?"

"Lent my car to a friend for the weekend," Levi replies easily, scratching at his arm for a brief moment.

Eren is currently struggling not to have an internal meltdown, and he wonders how Levi can act so casual. Didn't Levi just say he found him attractive? The silence is almost physically painful for Eren, and he's about to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind when a thought strikes him suddenly, and it's too much to assume, really - that Levi might have been waiting out here to see him, but there's a chance, a small one, maybe, and it makes Eren feel brave.

"Levi."

Levi turns his head to look at him, finally, and Eren lets out a breath, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Are you just..." He runs a hand through his hair, noticing that Levi watches the motion, which somehow gives him the courage to continue. "Are you just gonna stand there like I'm not here?"

Unexpectedly, Levi turns the rest of the way to face him, and Eren can't read the expression on his face. It seems to be something like annoyance, which makes his stomach twist into a knot; Levi then replies, gaze still averted, "I really don't know what the hell to do right now, Eren."

The knot seems to grow tighter, and Levi goes on, still looking off to the side. "I didn't expect to see you, here, now, or... ever. I don't know." Eren feels his breath catch as Levi's eyes find his again, and Levi mutters, "What do you want from me?"

Eren doesn't know what to say, really doesn't know at all, but he knows he wants it to be something more than stupid babbling that only serves as a precursor to Levi speeding off into the night.

"I just-- I want you to look at me," Eren breathes, palms pressing anxiously against the sides of his legs. "I want you to talk to me. I want..."

The annoyance seems to be slipping away, which Eren is thankful for, but he's not certain what emotion is going to replace it.

"I didn't expect for this to happen either," he continues quietly. "But I'm..." God, he's so fucking nervous, it's stupid. "I'm glad it did."

Levi doesn't speak for some time, and Eren can't think of anything else to say. He considers slinking away in mortification, but then Levi's voice is spreading warmth all through him with just a few simple words.

"I didn't say I was unhappy about it."

Eren lets out a small laugh, more a release of tension than anything else, and Levi smiles hesitantly back at him. He still has no idea what to do or say, but it's now or never, he knows that much.

"I can't, uh," he stutters, "I mean, I won't be able to um... call anymore." He bites his lip, finding it hard to look at Levi's face. "But I..."

He can feel his heart thumping in his chest, and there's so much more he wants to say, but everything's garbled in a tangled knot inside his mind. The silence between them is no less nerve-wracking in person; even if he can see Levi now, he still can't fully interpret each nuance in his expressions.

He's not sure if he's just imagining it, he probably is, since he kinda feels a little dizzy, but it seems like Levi might've stepped a bit closer, voice coming out softly as he asks, "But what?"

But what, indeed.

"I don't know how you feel," Eren begins, the words a little stilted, and he clears his throat before continuing, "But I still..."

This is it, he has to do this right.

"I still want to talk to you." He feels a surge of relief as the words leave his mouth, and after a moment he adds, "I mean, I don't want this to be it." Levi's gaze bores into him, and Eren wonders if he's saying the right things.

At Levi's continued silence, Eren sighs, louder than he'd meant to, and barrels on, "Levi, I know this entire thing is like, really fucking weird, and if I look back on it I can't exactly figure out the series of events that led us to be standing here right now, but you know what? I don't give a shit, maybe it's fucking crazy but I think I really like you."

The back of his neck tingles strangely after he says that final bit, and he waits with his heart lodged in his throat for Levi's response. If it doesn't come soon, he might actually have to flee the parking lot in shame.

Eren feels his jaw tighten as Levi's gaze drops, away from him, and he watches, detached, as Levi starts digging around in his back pocket. He supposes he'd honestly anticipated this rejection, but to have Levi not even grace him with a verbal response and start rustling through his pockets is even worse than what he'd imagined.

Probably looking for cab fare, Eren reasons. He grits his teeth, tries to pretend he doesn't feel like he just got punched in the gut, but it's not really working.

He almost jumps at the way Levi suddenly grabs his hand, but it appears it's not a tender gesture of hand-holding or some such, as he's twisting his wrist around so his palm is facing upwards. Eren's question dies on his lips as he sees the pen in Levi's other hand, mostly likely unearthed from his pocket, Eren reckons, but what--

Whatever Levi's scrawling on his hand isn't at the forefront of his mind at this moment; Eren is instead fighting a wince at every swipe of the nub against his skin, none of the motions anything that could remotely be considered gentle.

The painful grimace is wiped from his face instantly as Levi tilts his face upwards, hair falling in his eyes and a small smile on his lips. "No charge."

Eren continues staring dumbly, acutely aware of the fact that his palm is still cradled in Levi's hand, and when he finally regains enough sense to look down, he feels his lips split into a smile, his cheeks filled pleasantly with warmth as his heart hammers away contentedly.

A series of digits that can't be anything other than Levi's phone number line the middle of his palm, and Eren can't bring himself to look away, like it'll vanish if he doesn't keep careful watch over it. Levi releases his hand suddenly, which does make him look up, and he's startled to see the serious expression on Levi's face.

"This is what it is," he states cryptically, and Eren raises an eyebrow as he waits for some sort of elaboration. "I'm still gonna have my job, and you can't call while I'm there." Eren really doesn't want to think about Levi's job right now, but he lets Levi go on. "I was serious when I said it sucks trying to have a relationship with a job like this. I'm not really any good at it to begin with, so there's that too."

Eren can't help but feel like Levi's trying to dissuade him, but with his palm still tingling and his heart still thumping, he can't even entertain the thought.

"Levi," he interrupts as he sees Levi's mouth open again. "Shut up."

A thin eyebrow quirks in both annoyance and confusion, and Eren explains, "You're ruining the moment."

Levi's breath leaves him abruptly in something that's not quite a laugh, seemingly caught off guard, and Eren tries not to tremble as Levi delicately places both of his hands on him, fingers gently splayed across his ribs. He wants to touch Levi, badly, but he's still afraid that somehow, somehow he's gonna screw this up, and he really doesn't want that.

Eren watches Levi's eyes flicker across his face for a few moments, and Eren lets out a small sigh, lets his gaze shift everywhere from Levi's glittering eyes to his pale lips, and he feels his head start spinning again as Levi presses his hands firmer against him.

"This is probably a really bad idea," Levi murmurs, even as his head tilts to the side in a move that Eren can only interpret as an invitation to kiss him. He considers that he might be wrong in this assumption, however, as Levi keeps talking. "It'll be hard, you know. We won't see each other much, since I work most nights."

Eren doesn't like what Levi's saying, but he can't argue with the truth of it, either. His breath stutters through his lips when Levi slides his palms further up his chest, voice low as he continues, "We'll have fights and get jealous. You'll hate my job and I'll hate your friends for being able to be with you when I can't. We'll get tired of fighting, so we'll keep it inside." Levi's fingers hover over him for a moment before he presses them against the line of his shoulders, and though there isn't much pressure to the touch, Eren thinks he can feel it down in his bones.

"We'll grow apart."

The words make Eren's stomach twist, and the frown he's been fighting to suppress finally forms on his face. Levi's hands remain where they are, head still tilted to the side, and Eren wonders what he's waiting for. Does he want Eren to deny it all? He can't; he doesn't know the future, can't predict what will happen, and if he does deny it, Levi will probably call him childish. He can admit to himself that denying it would be, so why wouldn't Levi also say it? But then, what does he want?

Eren sighs softly, allowing his eyes to flutter closed briefly before training his gaze on Levi's face once more. "Nobody knows what's gonna happen in the future," he says quietly. "I'm not gonna tell you that you're being stupid, 'cause you're not." Eren lets his eyes drift down to where his fingers are idly fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Levi doesn't say anything, so Eren looks back up and continues, "I worry about the same things, but that doesn't change what I... what I want."

Here he finds a sudden boldness, encouraged by the look on Levi's face, and he wraps his hands gently around the other man's waist. "What you want, huh?" Levi repeats, and Eren lets his thumbs brush against the sharp hipbones beneath them as he nods, lets himself watch as Levi seems to lean infinitesimally closer. "I guess maybe..." Levi trails off, and Eren feels his heart thump against his chest as Levi's gaze changes, eyes mildly hooded as the corner of his mouth ticks upward.

"Maybe it'll be enough. We'll look forward to seeing each other, and it'll be worth it when we do." His fingers dig in firmer against Eren's shoulders, and Eren feels his eyelids droop a bit in response. "Maybe you won't be embarrassed to introduce me to your friends, and maybe they'll even be happy for you."

Eren isn't sure who's leaning forward, or if they both are, but Levi's nose is currently brushing against his and it's so distracting he almost misses the quiet murmur that leaves Levi's lips.

"Maybe we'll be happy."

This time, Eren's certain that they're both leaning forward, and his stomach erupts in butterflies (as embarrassing as it is to call it that; he's not a kid anymore) as their lips finally meet. His hands slip around to Levi's back, holding him closer, their chests pressed together and it's pretty fucking great, solid and warm and close, _here_ , Levi's here in his arms, as goddamn crazy as that thought may have seemed just earlier today.

Eren might make the tiniest of sounds against Levi's mouth as Levi's fingers suddenly begin running along the back of his neck, and Eren might be embarrassed if not for the way he can feel Levi's lips twitch into a smile. He almost regains his composure, at least until Levi flicks the pads of his thumbs against his ears, proceeds to mumble against him, "Cute" as Eren's breath leaves him sharply through his nose.

"Sexy," Eren corrects, not quite detaching himself from Levi's mouth, and then there's the sound of his laugh, soft and real, and though he's heard it before he's never seen it, never felt the warmth of it heat his skin. Every part of his body feels alight suddenly, and he wraps his arms tighter around Levi, lets the fabric of Levi's shirt bunch together in his grip as he brings him near, as he kisses him with more fervor; Levi responds immediately to the insistent press of his lips by winding his fingers through Eren's hair, using his hold to tilt Eren's face downward even more.

Eren's mind is currently swirling with thoughts of Levi and nothing else, how good he feels, how good he smells (god is that creepy? Eren doesn't even care), how intoxicating the press of Levi's body against him is, and as he lets his fingers trace the curve of Levi's spine, he could almost die at the sound Levi makes, low and breathy, not cute at all, sexy, definitely sexy, enough for Eren to make a needy sound of his own, and with a final rush of frenzied touches and desperate, breathless kisses that send lightning through his veins and sparks along his skin, the two of them finally break apart - at the mouth, that is; they're still wonderfully tangled together, and Levi's droopy gaze nearly makes Eren kiss him again, despite his severe need for air.

He tries not to pant, voice coming out slightly winded anyway. "That was... that was good." Shit, that's inadequate. Eren needs to elaborate. "Not good, that's not what I meant." Fuck, that's even worse, he can't even believe that now of all times he has to--

But then Levi's chuckling, raising an eyebrow as he questions, "No good, huh?" His fingers massage Eren's scalp in an extremely distracting way, making his eyes flutter shut, and he forgets what he'd been trying to say.

"We'll just have to practice," Levi murmurs, tone playful, the slant of his mouth and the look in his eyes enough to make Eren's heartbeat pound in his ears. He's just about to lean into Levi again when he sees Levi's gaze slide away from him, and as he looks to the side he realizes there's a cab slowly pulling into the parking lot.

Eren hates the way his stomach drops; presumably his face drops just the same, because Levi rolls his eyes, tugs on a few strands of his hair even as he presses a quick kiss to his lips. Soft and fleeting as it is, Eren's knees feel weak as they pull apart, and he runs a hand through his thoroughly mussed hair as Levi straightens out his shirt.

"I guess I... should call that cab," Eren mutters, unable to tear his eyes away from Levi, the way his hands move, the way his hair falls over his face, the slight bit of color still in his cheeks. He absentmindedly runs his fingers along his own palm where Levi'd scrawled his number, heart squeezing just a little.

Levi steps close to him again, smirking, and in the next moment his breath is fanning over Eren's ear, making his skin tingle pleasantly and his cheeks flush.

"No need for that. But you're going to have a lot of explaining to do to your friend."

Eren's brows knit in confusion as Levi pulls away and turns toward the cab. Suddenly he feels a cold dread settle in the pit of his stomach, and he slowly cranes his neck around.

There, sitting innocently in the same spot it'd been parked when they'd first arrived, is Jean's car. 

...With Jean in it.

Eren grimaces, turning back around just in time to see Levi settling into his seat, looking amused. Eren wanders over and places his hand along the top of the still opened door, leaning down slightly.

"You know, you could've told me he was there like, way before now."

Levi crosses his legs, and Eren had never realized such a simple action could attract his attention so much, yet his eyes follow the movement intently before finding Levi's face again. His lips are turned up in a half-smile, and he asks, "Would you have done anything differently?"

The question brings a smile to his own lips as he admits, "Not really." He's entertaining the idea of leaning into the car to steal another kiss when he hears the driver sigh as he shuffles around in his seat, and Eren's suddenly aware of his surroundings again.

Before he can move away, Levi's hand darts out and wraps loosely around his wrist. His fingers trail lightly over Eren's palm, and he murmurs, "Good night, Eren."

Eren's knees feel weak again for some reason, and he lets out a breath as Levi pulls back, still a small smile on his face. "Night, Levi," Eren replies, and with an awkward half-wave, he steps back and slams the door shut. Levi's eyes linger on him for another moment before he faces forward, and then the cab is pulling away, leaving Eren alone in the middle of the parking lot.

Alone... except for Jean, of course.

Eren groans, not ready to think about that conversation yet. He wants to let this giddy feeling invade his senses for a few moments longer, and he bites his lip to stifle the shit-eating grin that's threatening to split his face.

It would be uncouth to yell or dance in place, so Eren refrains. He settles for shoving his face into his hands and taking a deep breath, then another, until he thinks he can handle walking. And talking.

Maybe he'll be lucky and Jean will be passed out cold in the driver's seat. Eren can shuffle him over to the other side and, since he's such a nice guy, he'll even drop Jean off at his place.

He sighs, the sound slightly muffled. He's not that lucky.

Then he's fucking grinning again because well, he is lucky. Shit. He feels like an idiot.

Eren lets his arms fall, rolls out his shoulders and takes another deep breath. It's time. He can't put it off any longer.

The walk toward the car feels like a death march. Eren avoids looking at Jean and makes his way over to the passenger side, opening the door and getting in. He closes the door as quietly as he can, then finally chances a glance at Jean. His gaze is fixed on his knees, a crease between his brows.

Without realizing he's doing it, Eren mimics the pose.

He should say something.

"So."

The silence stretches on.

It's going to be a long drive home, that much is for certain.

\--

When he finally reenters his apartment, Eren can't help but feel like he's been gone for days. Glaring evilly at Jean while Armin had poked him in the arm actually feels like a lifetime and a half ago. He slumps onto his couch with a sigh, stretching out his legs.

God, the first time he'd talked to Levi seems like eons ago, too.

Eren turns his hand over in his lap so he can look at his palm. The ink is a little faded, which makes his heart lurch strangely in his chest. In the next moment, he's pulling out his phone, bringing up the 'new contact' screen. His fingers tremble slightly as he types in Levi's name, and he has to backspace a few times to get the numbers in correctly. Once it's saved, Eren can't help but stare at it, that little icon that says 'Levi' with his phone number neatly beneath it.

He carefully places the phone down next to him, sliding it a bit away (otherwise, he won't be able to stop staring). Eren suddenly feels like all the events of the past few days are catching up with him, and he feels a mixture of confused, nervous, wary, and... kinda jittery.

With another sigh, Eren rests his chin in his hands, tapping his foot slowly. He's aware that he's most likely way in over his head here; he's basically rushed into some sort of relationship with a guy he'd only just met for the first time tonight, and though Levi might know some of the more embarrassing aspects of his life and yet he doesn't judge him for it, that doesn't mean things are going to magically work out between them.

Eren mouth twists into a frown. All of the things Levi had said are very likely to come true; even now, he feels a ball of tension in his stomach at the thought of the next time Levi goes to work. He can't deny that there's definitely some jealousy and bitterness at the idea that Levi is going to keep doing his job, but Eren also knows he has no right to demand anything from him. He's just some guy that Levi barely knows, but is willing to take a shot on, for some reason. The frown fades slowly, and Eren leans back against the cushions again, this time directing his gaze at the ceiling.

It might not work out, but Eren wants to take a shot on Levi, too. The memory of Levi in his arms makes his face feel suddenly hot, and he shifts his legs around aimlessly. It's not just the physical things, though; clearly not, since he hadn't laid eyes on Levi until tonight, and it's not just his voice, incredibly sexy when he wants it to be. It's more than that, and Eren is currently feeling weirdly thankful to Jean for wrecking his car and pissing him off so bad, or else he wouldn't have met Levi.

This thought lingers in his mind, making his heart do a strange thump. It seems so strange to picture not knowing Levi at all, having no idea that he even exists. Eren rather likes knowing him, hearing his laugh and his sarcasm and his concern and his teasing, likes seeing his smile and his exasperation and his hesitation, and most certainly likes feeling his warmth and his curves and his lips.

Eren smiles softly, reaching to the side to fiddle with his phone. He's contemplating - should he, shouldn't he, but, it feels wrong _not_ to - after all, it wouldn't be right not to call Levi this evening, after doing so the past few nights.

A bundle of nerves bubbles within as he presses the button to call Levi, and it's even worse than before, when he'd known that Levi had to take his call, because it's his job--

"Hello?"

Eren's anxiety eases instantly at the sound of Levi's voice - even-toned, not ramped up with oozing sexuality, and maybe just the slightest bit curious. There are no lustful introductions or flirty requests for his name, and it makes Eren smile.

Instead of what he usually replies with, Eren closes his eyes and says, "It's me."

There's a pause, and then Eren's chest swells at the warm response of "Eren" that reaches his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, we have reached the end...
> 
> This is the end I'd always envisioned for this story, but with all of the overwhelming amounts of support and encouragement I've received, I feel inspiration to write more in this universe! The thing is, I think this wraps up the story so neatly, I don't know if I want to just leave it hanging open as I update sporadically. I might make a sequel instead? I don't know what I want to do, actually. But for now, I am tentatively marking this as complete. (I feel kind of emotional, oh god.)
> 
> Anyway, I hope that this story was satisfying and that you enjoyed the conclusion! I had so much fun writing and I'm really glad that I decided to put this fic into words, even though I thought I was crazy for starting it at the time.
> 
> I do have a tumblr - http://foreverautumnblog.tumblr.com/ if anyone would like to contact me there! :) This has been a wonderful ride, and I hope to one day soon write these boys' attempts at awkward dating and bedroom shenanigans. THANK YOU again to each and every one of you! *hugs*

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing here. This idea just wouldn't leave my mind, even though it's so, so incredibly stupid. Also I have no idea how sex lines actually work, whoops...
> 
> I don't intend for this to be very long? Just a few chapters, probably. Stupid things will happen. Bad attempts at me writing dirty talk will ensue. Look forward to it! (Or not)
> 
> (hide me)


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